Travel with the Polar holiday specialists

Est. 1984

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Magnificent glaciers, staggeringly beautiful icebergs, epic mountains and an abundance of wildlife all contribute to the allure of the Antarctica – the 'Great White Continent' covering an area of around 14 million square kilometres that are virtually untouched by humankind.

Our collection of holidays to Antarctica include small ship expedition voyages and land based adventures, including fly-in options to the South Pole.

Why choose Discover the World for your holiday to Antarctica?

We have carefully chosen what we believe to be the best small ship and land based trips in Antarctica and offer the most comprehensive choice of Polar holidays available from the UK. Our team of passionate and knowledgeable travel specialists are on hand to provide help and first-hand advice throughout the booking process and will help you to choose the most suitable itinerary to your needs, as well as book your flights and any pre and post voyage ccommodation, including land based extensions. In addtion, we only work with IAATO Full Members and are committed to the conservation of this delicate region. We will always offer the best price available from the voyage operator at the time of booking - see our 100% Guarantee for more details.

Talking from experience

About Antarctica

While Antarctica remains the habitat of intrepid explorers and scientific expeditions, its extraordinary wildlife and jaw-dropping scenery is also accessible to discerning travellers wishing to discover one the most pristine areas of the planet, under strict environmental guidelines.

Antarctica is the world's fifth largest continent and much of it is blanketed by a vast permanent ice sheet, averaging 2,000 metres in thickness. The wider region comprises a much larger area than the continent itself, including ice shelves, seas and islands off the coast of South America and Australasia.

The wildlife- rich Antarctic Peninsula and South Shetland Islands are the most accessible parts of the continent, and hence are the focus of many expedition voyages departing from South America. Longer voyages also take in South Georgia and the Falkland Islands, the former, with its links to Shackleton’s fabled trek across the glaciers, being a must for many intrepid travellers.

The lesser explored Weddell Sea region hugs the Peninsula and is home to emperor penguins nesting on the frozen oceans; little wonder that this area is known as 'iceberg alley'.

Dominated by an ice shelf the size of France, the Ross Sea region is inextricably linked to the golden age of exploration. The historic huts at Terra Nova Bay, Cape Evans and Cape Royds stand as monuments to Scott and Shackleton’s heroic expeditions. This area also boasts one of Antarctica’s most perplexing natural assets, the Dry Valleys, where no rain has fallen for at least 2 million years. Considerably more remote and inaccessible than the Peninsula, this is an area of dense pack ice most commonly reached from Australasia.

SPECTACULAR SCENERY AND WILDLIFE

Some may argue that it's impossible to describe the scenery of Antarctica in a single word, but ‘breathtaking’ comes close! It really is the world's last true wilderness area and during its fleeting summer, this inhospitable land plays host to some of the greatest wildlife spectacles on earth. Millions of pairs of penguins, albatrosses, petrels and other sea birds breed in the region; five species of seal are regularly observed hauled out on ice floes; orcas, humpback and minke whales are often encountered feeding on the ocean’s rich pickings, adding to the impressive list of marine mammals.

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